Would you quit if forced on eLogs?

1) Increasing a drivers pay is a oxy-moron. Here's why I state this: If you pay the driver more to run a load, you're going to need to charge the shipper more so that you can still make a profit off that truck. In turn, the shipper will need to raise wholesale prices so they can profit off their product. That 20oz bottle of coke you bought last week for $1.50 is now $1.75. All of the sudden, that pay increase for the driver didn't amount to anything if that driver needs to pay more for the items they use/consume on a daily basis.

2) Is a log violation. FMCSA regs state all work related tasks need to be logged as on duty not driving. If a driver holds a 2nd job, that counts. If they work all day at the 2nd job, they won't be legal to drive a CMV.

 

Got me on my number 1. Thanks but on number 2 That is why I said under the table jobs. If they want to stop drivers from making that little extra money or not up the pay then drivers are going to have to pick up extra work on time off and then be exhausted when they go back on duty. Families are not cheap. Property taxes are not cheap. For that matter cost of living isn't cheap. Sorry for the rambling. Just peeves me that the feds just keep pushing. I don't run for any company that uses a qualcomm because I don't need a babysitter. I am a grown man and give the feds my money, so I can take care of myself. Paper logs are good for fuel stops( guys taking 45 minutes to fuel), the guys that break down while backed to the dock. Anyone that stops running 30 minutes prior to having to must not have a family they want to get home to or make money to support. Just my 2cents. Just venting. Don't bash me too hard. lmao

 

I LOVE elogs. In fact, I'll bet a weeks pay that I can get finished with my elogs 200X faster than ya'll die-harders can finish your "legal" (yeah right) paper logs. I'll be off the clock and watching netflix while ya'll are trying to figure out where you made your last stop, did your tire check, and calculate what time it was (off the clock I'll bet).

Yep, you might be able to make more but it just doesn't add up to that much so I'm not interested. (Yes, I do value my berth time). As Josey Wales so thoughtfully put it, "dyin' ain't much of a livin', boy". I'm getting ready to go with yet another company and this will make the third in a row during my career of 16 years that has had elogs. They keep everyone honest and they keep the dispatchers off your back when you are just too tired to drive.

The world has changed, my good man. In fact, I was listening to a broadcast last month and they were talking about the personal computer becoming a thing of the past in just a couple more years. Now that was fast!!! So get ready, they are coming, like it or not. You may be able to find company's that still run paper, but one real good DOT audit and they'll be on elogs in no time. Thus endeth the lesson.

 

I'm not bashing you, just stating.

You can log yourself on line 4 24/7/365 and not violate anything. You'll get slapped with a violation when you start to drive. Do you remember the accident in Lake Butler Florida a few years ago when a driver killed 7 kids and 2 adults by ramming a mini-van into the back of a school bus? Accidents like that happen because of fatigue (what the FDOTs ruling was). The fatigue was related to log violations. The driver 'fudged' his logs to give himself extra drive time, and he ended up killing 9 people in the process. You have to ask yourself, when is enough enough? You will never make enough money, at any job you work at. Why try to push yourself beyond your limits? Who are you trying to satisfy? What are you trying to prove? Instead of pushing yourself beyond your limits and work yourself to death, make some sacrafices and compromises. As a example: if you're single and a OTR driver, why pay rent anywhere you are only going to be a few days a year? Why have a car payment for a vehicle you don't drive that often?

You may not think of it, but making those sacrafices will make you a happier person. Think of the money you could save up in a few years if you don't have rent, car payments, etc.

 

I understand where you are coming from. I respect your opinion. My opinion is they want in my house, they want in my car and they desperatly want in my truck. These are my belongings not thiers. I don't need a black box in my truck. This is what the coops are for. They just need to do a better job. There will never be a day when accidents don't happen because of driver fatigue unless there is no longer any trucks on the road. There is things that no matter what you do, you just can't prevent everything. Not only do drivers need to compromise but the feds need to do the same.

 

I also understand and respect your side as well. But you need to keep one thing in mind: you don't have the right to drive. Neither do I. Driving is, and will always be a privilege. You don't have any privacy rights driving a CMV on a public road. The only part of your truck that can be protected by privacy rights is the sleeper birth. The rest of the truck is fair game.

Nothing is stopping you from parking the truck and quitting. Your company will just find someone else to drive that truck.

As I earlier stated, EOBR's aren't meant to add regulations. They are meant to enforce the regulations already set in place.

 

I like elogs. Easy and accurate and keep you out of trouble. Takes some stress and worry off you. What good is running paper logs if you have to worry about having it totally correct or suffer the DOT wrath?

In the overall scheme of things, life is about trying to be happy. And anything that makes your life simpler, gives you better chance of being less stressed.

 

I like them when they work. When they fail to boot up, I'm tempted to give them a attitude adjustment with my 10 LB sledge hammer.

 

lol. My friend stepped on his, now it doesnt work, he calls me to help him run loose leaf logs. Hes practically pulling his hair out. So e logs gave him less stress. lol

Yes they have their downsides, but all in all, I think they are a good thing. They would be really great if the FMCSA would extend our on duty and driving a bit. They could because the qcomm keeps us honest, meaning we could safely run a bit harder.

 

seems like people just love to give away that free time. Elogs will actually help you prove the case that you should be paid, with a "side" benefit of not having to run when you are exhausted. It's all there, can't be erased, no matter how much that so called friendly dispatcher just wants to "help you out"..It's not a lifestyle, it's a JOB, get paid what you deserve. Stop the free off the books crap..